Disclaimer: Gary and I were hosted by AmaWaterways on assignment for Cruise Critic.

 AmaWaterways: Everything We Had Dreamed it Would Be

amawaterways

As many ocean cruises as we have been on, this was our first river cruise AND our first time to visit the Christmas Markets in Europe. It was an amazing experience, and we can fully recommend the AmaWaterways, the ship we sailed on–AmaSerena, and Christmas market cruises in general. The cold was probably the only thing we didn’t enjoy, but the food, scenery, and the friendly crew on AmaSerena plus the fun of the markets made it worth shivering a little.

The food experience on AmaSerena was fabulous. We never went hungry– from the sumptuous breakfast buffet to the late-night snacks in the main lounge, there was always something to munch on. Our favorites? Gary thought the pork tenderloin on the sixth night was perhaps the best he had ever eaten. I’m voting for the frothy hot cocoa found around the clock at the self-serve beverage station.

AmaWaterways excels at providing an immersive experience for guests on their river cruises. Even though the ship is small and lacks the flashy stage shows found on large ocean cruises, it never felt like there was a lack of things to do.

Our stateroom on AmaSerena was one of our favorites of any ship we have sailed on. It was spacious and lacked the usual cruise-ship-cabin feel. AmaWaterways newer ships like this one pioneered a double balcony design that includes both a French-style balcony with doors that open to a railing and a full step-out balcony. The combination was ideal for our winter cruise adding an enormous sense of spaciousness,